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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22810612">Pillow</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeatherQuilt88/pseuds/FeatherQuilt88'>FeatherQuilt88</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Amber Dragon Anthology [19]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Babies, Canon-Divergent from Everything Else, Cozy, Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Cute, Cute Kids, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Gen, Grandpa Iroh, Happy, Happy Family, Joyful, Love, Newborn Children, Peaceful, Platonic Cuddling, Post-Canon for the Original Series, Puppy Piles, Safety, Sleepy Cuddles, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, that's it that's the fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 10:15:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>804</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22810612</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeatherQuilt88/pseuds/FeatherQuilt88</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Iroh and Chiko (fancharacter) watch over Zuko's newborn baby. No plot, just pure snuggles.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Iroh &amp; Original Child Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Amber Dragon Anthology [19]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1988473</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>56</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Pillow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For readers new to my "Amber Dragon" fanfic series (which is post-canon for the original series and canon-divergent from everything else)--in it, Iroh has opened a new teashop, the Amber Dragon, very near to the Fire Palace, and has adopted a little orphan girl, my fancharacter Chiko. Iroh and Zuko consider each other adoptive father and child now, and Kiwa--the first baby I made up for Zuko and Jin in this universe--is therefore Iroh's adoptive granddaughter, and Chiko's adoptive niece.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It is a drizzly, rather cold day in Royal Caldera City, but inside the Amber Dragon, it is warm and dry. Not because the dragon himself is breathing great sheets of fire--oh, goodness no! But because there are cozy blankets, and low lamplights, and a good thick roof on this rainy morning.</p><p>The old dragon does admittedly breathe a few extra sparks into the air, but they are tiny and harmless, and carry less heat than the blankets. They are merely an amusement, to dance over his new granddaughter's eyes. Those little gold eyes do sparkle for a moment in recognition, but then squint back into comfortable drowsiness.</p><p>Princess Kiwa is three days old, and is much too small to do anything but sleep.</p><p>That is all right with her honorary grandfather. Iroh is a being of love and sleep, just like she is. He beams over her, lost in adoration.</p><p>"Will she remember this, Bapa?" Chiko peeps at his side. The other little princess is nine now, but always appears even younger. She is so petite, and loves to rest and play, just like her guardian.</p><p>Iroh watches her fondly, as she reaches to stroke the head of Zuko's baby, her new niece. "She will not remember our words, for she is too young to know their meanings," he answers her truthfully. "But her little heart will store the memories, even if her mind cannot. <i>She knows she is loved.</i>" The old prince's smile grows even warmer, reassuring his third child. He bends down and plants a tremendous kiss on his grandbaby's face.</p><p>Chiko leans deeper into Iroh's chest, and he wastes no time in giving her that same resounding kiss. He loves his children, and now his new grandchild, all equally, and proves that to them with every gesture. But there was never much reason to worry about Chiko getting jealous--she had been nearly as excited about the new baby as Iroh had been.</p><p>His heart overflows, now, as he watches the little princess bend over just as he had, and kiss the even tinier princess over her heart. He cuddles them both tightly to him, almost protectively.</p><p>
  <i>The last time he had experienced something like this, it had been with Lu-Ten and baby Zuko.</i>
</p><p>"Un." Kiwa makes a tiny noise, half grunt and half peep, shifting her head closer to Iroh the best she can.</p><p>"Ohhh..." he rumbles tenderly, rubbing the baby princess' blanket over her tummy.</p><p>Kiwa slips back into drowsiness, soothed by her grandfather's touch. She may still be a newborn, but Iroh fancies he can detect the faintest hint of a smile on her face.</p><p>Suddenly, Iroh feels another, much smaller hand tickling into <i>his</i> midriff. He looks down to see Chiko mimicking him, massaging his abundant belly the same way he was massaging Kiwa's. "What are you doing?" he teases.</p><p>Chiko doesn't answer directly; she just grins up at her adoptive father, eyes twinkling. "You're squishy!" she giggles, still rubbing him. "Just like the baby."</p><p>This earns her a <i>huge</i> laugh. "I <i>am</i> a very squishy old dragon, now aren't I?" Iroh agrees, petting his tummy.</p><p>"And warm," Chiko adds, burrowing deeper into his softness.</p><p>Iroh smiles, and--still cradling Kiwa securely in one arm--thoughtfully reaches over to close the window with the other. This "Waterbender weather" is getting a bit chilly. He wraps a larger blanket around his little treasures, and hugs them tightly again.</p><p>
  <i>This is what he is now, a nurturer.</i>
</p><p>Iroh takes a deep breath, circulating his Firebending powers to settle in his potbelly, making it even comfier for Chiko and Kiwa to snuggle against.</p><p>
  <i>He was a general, once, but that part of him is all gone now.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>He is a prince, and doesn't mind that title so much.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>He is a teamaker, and very happy to be so.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>But there is nothing in the world he would rather be, now, than a pillow.</i>
</p><p>He leans back contentedly, practically melting into the couch. Chiko lays her head over his heart, and watches her new little niece nestled there, positively enchanted. She reaches to touch her tiny hand, its fingers so unbelievably small and cute. Sometimes they grip hers in return, but right now, they lay sleepily uncurled.</p><p>"Listen, Bapa!" the older princess suddenly whispers excitedly. "I think she's snorin'!"</p><p>"Heehee--I think she has the right idea," Iroh yawns happily.</p><p>The three of them all bundle closer under the blankets, until only their upturned eyes and noses, and Iroh's fluffy whisker-tips, and his and Chiko's topknots are visible. Everything is <i>so</i> soft, <i>so</i> warm.</p><p>Very soon, Kiwa's barely-audible snores are joined by Chiko's almost-as-squeaky ones, and Iroh's stentorian ones. And despite their differences in pitch, they all have one thing in common--they sound almost like they are purring.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>When I got the ATLA artbook for Christmas, I learned that the Fire Nation capital's name is apparently "Royal Caldera City." Oops. I had just been calling it "Capital City" in the ficlets I wrote before this, and I don't want to go back and change them all, but as you can see, I've decided to start sprinkling the "Royal Caldera" name in a bit now, starting with this story.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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